Molasses might be the culprit

Hundreds of fish suffocated in the water at Honolulu Harbor Monday. The Department of Health received the call to investigate a spill around 9 a.m., but it appears there's not much it can do to quickly return the water to pre-spill condition.

The Department of Health got the call this morning but it appears there's not much it can do. KITV4's Brenton Awa is live in the newsroom to explain. Yunji -- The substance of what spilled can't be confirmed yet -- but whatever it is -- appears to have already dissolved into the water. People we spoke with tonight say it's a sad sight -- and a waste of fish. The scene in the water at Pier 38... Chocolate brown ... And fish struggling to stay alive. 2503 - 2510 "IT SEEMED LIKE THEY WERE TRYING TO GASP FOR AIR, WE SAW MENPACHIS AND AWEOWEO." Palani and Weke -- among those as well. Sachi Uehara says all kinds fish were swimming up to shore -- looking for an escape. 2616 - 2622 "THERE WERE I WOULD SAY OVER 50 EELS THAT WERE UP AT THE SURFACE THAT WE COULD SEE." 2025 - 2031 "WE HAVE AN UNPRECEDENT ED EVENT HERE, I DON'T THINK ANYONE IN HAWAII HAS HAD TO DEAL WITH THIS HERE, CERTAINLY NOT IN THIS CENTURY." The Department of Health says it CANNOT CONFIRM what kind of spill this is -- or where it started... But it has an idea. 2000 - 2013 "A VESSEL THAT WAS IN THE HARBOR EARLIER AND LEFT BEFORE SUNRISE WAS LOADED WITH MOLASSES AND IT MAY HAVE SPILLED DURING THE LOADING OPERATION OR FROM THE VESSEL ITSELF." The DLNR says that Matson has "self-reported" a molasses spill. The DOH says the affected water spans HALF of Honolulu Harbor. 1935 - 1943 "IT LOOKS LIKE THE OXYGEN IS BEING REMOVED FROM THE HARBOR WATERS AND THE FISH ARE DYING BECAUSE OF LACK OF OXYGEN." A crew from the Pacific Environmental Corporation removed many of the dead fish along the shoreline... As for clean-up -- the plan is unclear ... 2059 - 2110 "THERE'S PROBABLY NOT MUCH THAT WE CAN DO IN TERMS OF CLEAN-UP OTHER THAT HOPING THE NATURAL TIDES AND WINDS CLEAN OUT THE HARBOR OVER THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS." We've reached out to MATSON but it has yet to return our call. Meanwhile -- the DLNR is warning boaters and fishers to keep out of Keehi Lagoon waters. That's where the current appears to be moving the mess to.